"We both agree that rape is a horrific and unjust act of violence against an innocent person: the woman."
I'm sorry, but that is not what rape is. I am shocked by your ignorant understanding of consent. The victim of rape doesn't have to be a woman, either does he or she have to be innocent. A convicted criminal can be a victim of rape. Rape is having sexual intercouse with an unwilling participant —— that's it. Nowhere does "innocence" come in.
This is a gross misunderstanding of Emily's statement on multiple levels.
We at ERI are well aware that some rape survivors are not women. I frequently say so when I discuss this topic. But Amanda Gorman's video, and therefore our response to her, is all under the umbrella of the topic of abortion. In that context, we are only talking about female survivors of rape. Those are the people pro-choice advocates bring up as a hard case against our position, and we respond to it. That's a lot better than glaring at them and saying, "Hey! Men can be raped too, you know! I'm shocked that you wouldn't bring that up in your argument against our pro-life position!"
The word "innocent" here is very context-specific. We are opposed to victim-blaming, like the people who say "well, she shouldn't have had that drink" or "worn that dress" or "been in that part of town alone." It is never her fault when a woman is raped. That equally applies to women in prison. Even if a woman is guilty of a crime that results in her being imprisoned, she is not culpable for any sexual abuse she experiences.
I'm sorry, but that is not what rape is. I am shocked by your ignorant understanding of consent. The victim of rape doesn't have to be a woman, either does he or she have to be innocent. A convicted criminal can be a victim of rape. Rape is having sexual intercouse with an unwilling participant —— that's it. Nowhere does "innocence" come in.
We at ERI are well aware that some rape survivors are not women. I frequently say so when I discuss this topic. But Amanda Gorman's video, and therefore our response to her, is all under the umbrella of the topic of abortion. In that context, we are only talking about female survivors of rape. Those are the people pro-choice advocates bring up as a hard case against our position, and we respond to it. That's a lot better than glaring at them and saying, "Hey! Men can be raped too, you know! I'm shocked that you wouldn't bring that up in your argument against our pro-life position!"
The word "innocent" here is very context-specific. We are opposed to victim-blaming, like the people who say "well, she shouldn't have had that drink" or "worn that dress" or "been in that part of town alone." It is never her fault when a woman is raped. That equally applies to women in prison. Even if a woman is guilty of a crime that results in her being imprisoned, she is not culpable for any sexual abuse she experiences.